Cabinet appoints supervisory body for elections

Reading out the decisions Friday from the Cabinet meeting at the Grand Serail, Information Minister Paul Morcos announced the government's appointment of members to the Electoral Commission, which will be responsible for overseeing the upcoming legislative elections.

Hafif al-Hakim was chosen as president of the commission, with Fadi Ghantous as vice president. The other members are: Mireille Amatouri, Jamal Mahmoud, Antonio al-Hashem, Nadine Farghal, Imad Bachir, Farid Gebran, Talal Hatoum, Vera Yaacoubian and Ziad al-Sayegh. The next parliamentary elections are scheduled for May 2026, although uncertainty remains regarding the participation of expatriate voters.

"The Cabinet approved most items on the agenda," Morcos added. "The most important is the draft law on forests and rangelands, which consolidates three existing pieces of legislation on agriculture and forests. This bill strengthens various aspects related to climate change, desertification, and biodiversity, protects green spaces, increases penalties, and creates a dedicated fund for managing forests, rangelands and natural landscapes."

The agenda also included a request by the Council for Development and Reconstruction to seek a loan from the Kuwait Fund to finance the construction of wastewater treatment facilities in the Batroun region, as well as a presentation by the state minister for administrative development on a "2030 state institutions and administration restructuring project."

Finally, the Cabinet was to consider a request to reallocate a Kuwait Fund grant, initially intended for the Beirut Archaeological Museum, to finance reconstruction of the port's grain silos.

Before the discussion on the formal agenda began, the agriculture minister raised the issue of foot-and-mouth disease, which is currently spreading in Lebanon.

The government backed the measures taken by the Ministry, as well as local and international partnerships established to combat the disease, including securing new vaccine supplies, halting imports of livestock from affected countries and tightening controls to combat smuggling. Monitoring of meat, milk, and related products has also been stepped up.